[gobolinux-users] Freshen 3.0.0

[Isaac Dupree]

Michael Homer wrote:
> `Freshen -s <list>` will include only the updates absolutely necessary
> to upgrade the programs in the given list to the latest versions - it
> won't try to upgrade GCC just because you're trying to install the new
> Firefox. `Freshen -s -U <list>` will perform the actual installation;
> it has a shortcut, `Freshen -i/--install`.
> 
> `Freshen -i` with no list provided will install the updates from the
> last update list displayed. That is to make the review process easier;
> you can run `Freshen -s foo bar baz`, read over what it's going to
> upgrade, and then just run `Freshen -i` to install what you just saw.
> That is the recommended procedure for use.

that doesn't sound thread-safe.  As in, a Freshen process run in the 
background or in another shell could change what 'Freshen -i' does.  How 
can it know which Freshen -s run you meant?

Gentoo's --ask/-a option does it in one command, which fixes the problem 
but is annoying to use, to have it ask you after showing what it will 
do.  Often I just used --pretend/-p followed by shell history omitting 
that option so it would install.  If something had changed in the 
meantime, then that's not entirely safe either -- hmm, if something had 
changed then I might want it to tell me so I could reconsider, if it had 
any effect, or I might know what I'm doing.

> The -x option is now more powerful, and can be used in combination
> with a list of programs to update: `Freshen -x GTK+ -U Firefox` will
> skip GTK+, but install all other upgrades. It also works as a
> wildcard; `Freshen -x KDE` will exclude anything named KDE-* as well.

sounds convenient but dangerous.  For example, GLib is a prefix of Glibc 
(modulo case); Linux is a prefix of Linux-PAM; I'm sure there are other 
examples.  Does the wildcard work as *KDE* or as KDE* (where "*" means 
anything added there)?  Maybe wildcarding should have to be explicit.


good work!

-Isaac